A dog was electrocuted Friday night while racing at Tucson Greyhound Park and a city councilman said it’s the second such death in a month.
Video posted on the Greyhound Park’s website shows a dog in a green jersey running with the pack in the 14th race. As the dogs round the first turn, that dog is bumped by another dog and driven into an electrified rail in the center of the track that carries the lure. Near the race’s end, the video shows the lure stop and the greyhounds gather around it.
What the video doesn’t show is why the lure is stopped, said Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, an outspoken opponent of Tucson Greyhound Park. He was not at the track Friday night, but said he got calls from people who witnessed the incident.
After the dog was electrocuted a man ran onto the track to try to help the dog, Kozachik said. The lure operator shut down the electrified rail so the man on the track did not get injured, he said. Kozachik said the only barrier between the dirt track and the electrified rail is a small, concrete curb.
The dog’s owner, Rickey Joe Traylor of Texas, confirmed his dog died, but said he was not at the track at the time and could not comment on what happened.
Telephone messages left Saturday for Dale Popp, general manager of Tucson Greyhound Park, and the owners of the Tucson kennel that handled the dog were not returned.
It is the second time in a month a dog has been electrocuted at the track, Kozachik said.
